book club - october 2015 edition

october, people! october. it's here. the hap-hap-happiest season of all. candy corn season. and scary movie season. speaking of scary, i just started reading under the dome by stephen king. if you aren't familiar it's about a small town that is suddenly and mysteriously shut off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. it's also a tv show, which i've never seen. have you read this or watched the show? the only show i care about right now is season five of the walking dead since it's finally on netflix.

last month i read the good girl and it did indeed have a twist at the end. i would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something similar to gone girl.

i'd love to know what you all are reading right now, especially if it is a mystery. i'm all about them!

image via

articles from the world wide web

links

1. this cake is the second best thing to staying at the beverly hills hotel
2. even a black thumb can't kill these indoor trees
3. clear your mind and your life with this 30 day minimalism challenge
4. the key to growing peonies finally revealed
5. learn how to patch drywall like a pro - or harry potter


image via petit papier

book club - september 2015 issue

can i just say (of course i can, this is my blog and i can say whatever i want), i am so unbelievably ready for fall. i'm ready to slow down and enjoy some soup. and a ... good book! i started reading the good girl by mary kubica, and it is so good. i was actually sad that my train ride went by without a delay "because of train traffic ahead of us." it revolves around a girl who has been kidnapped and is told from various perspectives from either before or after the event. plus, it has the word "girl" in the title, so if it's anything like gone girl or the girl on the train, then i'm in for a good ride. i smell a twist coming, but i can't figure it out and it's driving me ca-ray-zy.

last month i read What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love by carole radziwill. i cried on the train a total of four times, but it was definitely worth it because it is such a wonderful and inspiring book. if you're looking for juicy kennedy inside information, this isn't the book for you. it's a humble, sincere, loving, and beautiful love story, and has little to nothing to do with the fame and fortune of the people it is dedicated to.

have you read either? if so, i'd love to know what you thought. if not, i'd love it if you joined me!

image via: French by Design

book club - july 2015 issue

oh, june was a busy month for reading! i read the silence of the lambs and the girl on the train. the silence of the lambs was so thrilling - even though i've seen the movie a million times, i still found myself reading the last 50 pages at warp speed because i just wanted them to find her! spoiler alert: the ending is brilliant. same goes for the girl on the train - definitely an amazing book that i didn't want to put down. i even found myself reading it at the bar at my friends birthday party. oops, that's pretty bad. but that's how gripping the book is! better than gone girl if i do say so myself. i do say!

i also snuck in various chapters from bossypants. the chapter all girls must be everything had me laughing like a crazy person on the subway platform. and this is like, the 100th time i've reread it. or fourth. who's counting? my favorite part is, "And if I ever meet Joyce DeWitt, I will first apologize for having immediately punched her in the face, and then I will thank her. For while she looked like a Liza Minnelli doll that had been damaged in a fire, at least she didn’t look like everybody else on TV."

so, for july, i'm reading hannibal. can't stop, won't stop! i'd also like to read something nice. i think judd apatow's new book would balance out the whole face eating, brain feeding thing in hannibal. 

image via: oscar properties

book club - april 2015 issue

so last month, the books on the line up were she's come undone and the 4 percent universe. guess which one i finished....

bonus points if you guessed the one that doesn't involve dark matter. i'm still making progress on that one. as i promised, here is a recap of last month's lineup. she's come undone was brilliant. i laughed, i was horrified, i cried, and let me tell you, if the book wasn't enough of an emotional roller coaster, the authors opening letter detailing the success of the book (from oprah calling him to tell him he owed her three nights sleep to helping a young man with mental health issues work through them and come out the other side) was the icing on the cake. i really recommend reading this book, and in the off chance that you're reading this, and you've also read it, i'd die to hear what you thought. my personal favorite part was when she totally unraveled and came clean to her jerky husband in the fast food joint. perfection. i also love when her high school counselor tells her, "i'll give you what i learned from all this. accept what people offer. drink their milkshakes. take their love." in context, that line will give you goosebumps, trust me.

i'm not even going to comment on 4 percent. maybe next month. 

i've decided the line up for april is just kids by patti smith. my roommate lent it to me, and i don't live under a rock so i've obviously also heard great things on the street. 

stay tuned book worms!

image via: the socialite family books: shes come undone, the 4 percent universe, just kids

book club - march 2015 issue

i'd like to start doing this one-woman book club thing every month. really just to remember what i've read, and it would be maje bonus points if anyone else wanted to join in. i think i'll talk about the book(s) on my agenda for the upcoming month, and then at the start of the next month, i'll introduce the new book(s) and give my opinion of the last month's book(s). sound good, mom? i say "mom" because i'm lucky if she's the only one who's reading! 

so, this month i'm going to be reading two books that i've already briefly started. the 4% universe, by richard panek, and she's come undone, by wally lamb. the first one is going to be a mind bender, and the second one seems very emotionally gripping. yet, i'm interested in both! 

here is the review for the 4% universe; "In recent years, a handful of scientists has been racing to explain a disturbing aspect of our universe: only 4 percent of it consists of the matter that makes up you, me, and every star and planet. The rest is completely unknown. Richard Panek tells the dramatic story of how scientists reached this cosmos-shattering conclusion. In vivid detail, he narrates the quest to find the “dark” matter and an even more bizarre substance called dark energy that make up 96 percent of the universe. This is perhaps the greatest mystery in all of science, and solving it will bring fame, funding, and certainly a Nobel Prize. Based on hundreds of interviews and in-depth, on-site reporting, the book offers an intimate portrait of the bitter rivalries and fruitful collaborations, the eureka moments and blind alleys, that have redefined science and reinvented the universe."

so, yeah.

here is the review for she's come undone; "Meet Dolores Price. She's 13, wise-mouthed but wounded, having bid her childhood goodbye. Stranded in front of her bedroom TV, she spends the next few years nourishing herself with the Mallomars, potato chips, and Pepsi her anxious mother supplies. When she finally orbits into young womanhood at 257 pounds, Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder. But this time she's determined to rise to the occasion and give herself one more chance before she really goes under."

i can already see myself crying on the subway. 

image via architectural digest - book reviews from amazon

articles from the world wide web

links

1. lovely career advice

2. loved reading this interview with the founder of copper+walnut

3. have we all seen this beyond amazing house yet?
and here's where the fabric on the incredible green couch came from

4. beautiul shots of anna gray's home

5. john derian at home

photo sources

1. NYT  2. The Selby 3. & 4. Madewell Blog

book club - 2013 recap

One of my (15...I know) New Years Resolutions for 2013 was to read two books a month. And I did it! Almost. If you're interested in any recommendations, I have listed all the books I read this year after the jump, with my five star rating next to each one. If you've read any of them, I'd love to hear what you thought! I am just now finishing up The Goldfinch, and it by far takes the cake for the best book I've read this year. Second place goes to Unbroken, and third place goes to Infidel. And the award for making me laugh on the train and therefore embarrassing me goes to.....Dad is Fat.